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Tribal Council is intimately involved with a rapidly approaching event called Gratifly Music and Arts Festival. For those of us remaining rather rooted this season, it’s worked out quite conveniently that this event will happen to host- literally- almost all of our favorite musical acts. In addition to this, the festival is bringing in knowledge- & skill-sharing as focal points. In the vein of the rising transformational festival movement, Gratifly is offering a full-spectrum experience in every sense of the word. Most notably is the fact that while there are 4 music stages, there are 6 – that’s right, SIX- workshop stages. These stages will host over 50 presenters and 80+ offerings.

This is a model that is still quite fresh within the festival culture of the Southeast, and we are so excited to be a part of offering it, and to make it to as many of these classes as humanly possible! Each day we will have a multitude of yoga asana practices available for your re-energizing needs; if you’re feeling like you need something a bit more external to regain restoration, there will be a healing sanctuary available to help you recharge. Workshops will cover unique topics such as intuitive floetry, soul sweat, shamanic journeying, art & entertainment as social action – and that’s just the tip of the crystal.

Alokananda Star Bear, wandering shaman and founder of UNITRIBE in NYC, will be sharing the following offerings:- Illuminating the 7 Bodies- The Role of the Emotional Body in the Age of Ascension- Tribal Kirtan

We invite you to hop over now to the Gratifly site and spend some time seeing what these classes are all about, and maybe even creating your own calendar so you can be sure to catch them all.

Brian Love will be offering some unique workshops:- Tools for a Regenerative Future: Permaculture, Ecovillages, and Cannabis in our bioregion- TRYPTAMEME – Time Travel, Anahuasca, and the Eleusinian Mysteries

So you know what this means… Grab your friends, your notebooks, and be sure to arrive to the festival on time for maximum downloads!

Tribal Council is excited and humbled; to be invited to be a part of Gratifly Music and Arts Festival. Gratifly is the first festival of it’s kind in the South East. Promoting intelligent and compassionate music; as well as many workshops, yoga, healing, and visionary art! This festival is going to be very special and intimate community gathering. Focused on bringing this light family together in celebration of love, life, and creativity. With that in mind Gratifly asked a few of the artists performing at the festival in late July; to send their most heart centered song. This collection is an inspiring plethora of artists sharing a similar message.

Gratifly- The Heart Collection Volume 1

Every song in The Heart Compilation has it’s own distinct sound. Each one is worth taking a moment to listen. It is extremely meditative, to listen to some truly intentional music during your day. The Desert Dwellers, Random Rab, Drumspyder, Akara, and Numatik all were kind enough to give the collection previously unreleased material! Dune’s Lullaby by Random Rab, was written for his son. Through sound, Rab perfectly captures the feeling of child curiosity. Akara’s song, The Sky Dancer; features their quintessential sound. This track features lush instrumentation with beautiful vocals, layered on top of electronic beats. Femke has a hauntingly beautiful quality to her voice, and it really shines through in this song.

Earthcry at Rootwire

Every time I have seen Earthcry (Anthony Thogmartin’s side project) his set has featured binaural beats mixed electronic dance beats. Barreling Towards the Galactic Equator is a very different feel from all the other Earthcry material I have heard. This song is delightfully spacey; but also has this lovely middle eastern feel. This track is one of my favorites off this compilation. Rising Appalachia and The Human Experience recently released an album called Soul Visions. One of the songs, SUNU, was given to Gratifly’s compilation. This song comes from the heart. Masterfully sung and played, David Block takes this earthy song and really adds some flavor. While I would love to talk in detail about every song on this album, the last track I will mention is hOMe Bass by itom Lab. This song is the perfect balance between, galactic techno and electronic dance music. The result is this funky song, with fun sounds that keep you moving throughout!

If you are interested in attending Gratifly, this album introduction to some of the artists on the lineup. Please support Gratifly and our community by taking a listen to The Heart Collection Volume 1. We can not wait to see you at Gratifly!

As you may or may not know, a solid crew of TC hearts are blessed to be sweetly nestled within the cozy embrace of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a majickal place where faeries & elves abound. Within the nooks & crannies are tucked pure treasures that shape-shift to provide whatever you may seek in the moment. Inevitably so, these lands sow seeds in hearts that ripple out through their respective hands. It is within this context that we frame this piece: Firefly Gathering. The Firefly Gathering, now 5 years strong, is an annual event focused on rewilding, primitive, homesteading & sustainability skills.

Here at TC, many of us have been feeling the tugs at our heartstrings toward more rooted past-times & gatherings. This prompted a few of us to make it out to Firefly – and oh, did Bell’s Cove treat us right. Lives were changed, connections were made, & people were empowered.

As if getting out under the stars (and away from the cyber-vortex!) wasn’t enough, we got to do it with hundreds of other luminous beings draped in buckskin belts and dresses that they tanned and sewed by their own hands. One of the most inspiring aspects of this gathering is the intention & vision that moves it – you can rest assured that everyone who is there is dedicated to growth, courageously assuming the role of pioneers in a time where that is desperately needed.

The gathering was a refreshing change of pace from that which we are typically used to attending. This time, we got to serve in a different context – rather than offering workshops, we were the ones going to the workshops (and learning SO much). There is so much importance in each role we all play, from “giver” to “receiver” – usually both of which really entail a bit of each. Each role is integral in the vast realms in which we come together to work & play in order to serve the world.

Like our experience at LEAF, Firefly encourages (and in fact, thrives on) multi-generational involvement. Also like LEAF, we were humbled and amazed by the number of 4-year-olds that could school us in tomahawk-throwing & spear-carving.

We went on wild woodslore folk-song plant walks, began the long journey ahead toward reconnecting with our honeybee kin, slung slavic martial arts, & explored sacred sexuality. This gathering is like one of the festivals we typically go to, but seriously amplified. You know that feeling when the biggest problem you face is choosing between 2 of your favorite artists? That is the feeling you buzz around Firefly with — ultimately coming to rest in the knowing that we have lifetimes, and many more Firefly’s, ahead of us to immerse ourselves in the wellspring of wisdom.

After full days of basking in the sun and storing away the downloads, Firefly offered night-time soundscapes a bit different from those we are used to at gatherings. Sweet and feisty serenades were the musical main attractions of the weekend on Saturday night, featuring local favorites Sparrow & the Resonant Rogues, and someone you may be more apt to recognize – Leah Song of Rising Appalachia.

While we can certainly get down to the sweet and sultry, we admit we did slip out on Friday night for our very own Push/Pull’s set inside of the debut ENO flower of life lotus dome back in town at Highland Brewery. Just when we think our friends can’t get any cooler (we should really just stop thinking this), they DJ inside of galactic space pods that all the rest of our friends are hanging from in hammocks – another testament to the human creative potential.

Back to Firefly…! We are so grateful to have been able to experience this ancient-future format of gathering, and observe & interact with this incredible community. We drew many parallels between this and the style of gathering we are accustomed to. What it all really comes down to, after all, is tribe – the facilitation of the remembrance that we are all One Tribe, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We are stronger and happier together, and we were made to be so. TC’s mission and vision stems from this understanding, and we are honored to stand amongst so many powerful warriors of love as we offer up our heads, hands & hearts to better serve the world and each other.

Tribal Council is blessed to know and support many musicians. Both Subaqueous and Skytree are currently raising money to help produce their upcoming albums. I was lucky to have the time to interview both musicians on their upcoming projects. Subaqueous (Issac Cotec) is using Kickstarter to help fund his upcoming album. His idea is to create a USB drive to share his upcoming and past releases, Ableton sets, remix packs, even videos! This is all in sake of sharing information with other musicians and music lovers alike. Issac is very close to meeting his goal (which ends in six days). Please consider supporting our friend with his Kickstarter here. I was very lucky to have Issac answer a few questions for Tribal Council. (Interview with Skytree follows below.)

Interview with Subaqueous

TC: What made you decide to do this new release on a USB drive, are you releasing any CD’s? Does this help you save in the long run?

Subaqueous: I have had the idea of a USB drive of my music for years. My last album made CD’s and found it was awesome to give to people so they could listen to it on there car on the ride back from festivals. It was also so amazing having my music in a physically printed medium. It made it feel like I made something tangible. The problem with CD’s is they are a one function device. You brake the jewel case, or loose it, and then it can only go into CD players. A USB can be plugged in, downloaded, reused, played on CDj’s and most upcoming car stereos. It just made sense to make something physical that can be used and appreciated in many different ways.

That is just the physical idea and practicality of it. To me personally it’s more about the collaborative nature the USB can offer. It allows me to put on so much more then music. It will have videos, interviews, images, music, Ableton Live Sets, Sample packs and other music resources. I am not just sharing the music, but also the process and tools to create the music.

TC: You say you want to use this USB to share knowledge behind your music with others. I like this idea, how specifically would this help share your ideas with others?

Sub: I spend a lot of time devoting to my music. I just spent 5 days making a new way of synthesis in Ableton Live the other week. After spending all that time and pushing myself musically with my tools I can either keep this resource to myself and have a “secret sonic pallet” or I can share it. When I share it with other people they can then take all that devoted energy and craft there own works from it. I love the idea of letting these tools pass through me and help inspire other people. These thoughts were not my own as well. I am just one pathway for them.

I have noticed the more I collaborate and share the more comes to me. I feel inspired when people make remixes, or new tracks from my samples. It makes me want to do this even more.

TC: What artists were you most excited to remix for your upcoming album?

Sub: Well I haven’t announced it yet, but I guess I am now, I am really excited to have Govinda’s remix on this album. I have loved his music for years and been truly inspired by it. To have him remix my own music is such a blessing. All the other musicians are just as amazing; Kalpataru Tree will have a beautiful dubby remix, eO with his deeply emotional and epic remix, Futexture and Erothyme both made a jazzy spaced out funk remixes, and other sweet revisions on my original music.

TC: How long have you been working on this project?

Sub: Well every decision has lead me to this moment. I’ve thought of the USB drive 3 years ago and have been working towards it. It took a long time to get all the resources underway. Then the Remix album has been worked on for the last 3 months. I’ve been talking with the artist, working out details, distributors, and such. Been amazing and long time coming.

TC: What was the most challenging thing you have come across with this project, and what are you doing to overcome this?

Sub: It’s been fairly smooth honestly. It’s been a build up of past experiences and is just lining up. There were some tedious parts, like searching the web for a USB manufacturer I trust and finding a product with the lowest environmental impact. That took countless hours of development and contacting people. I overcame it by sure will.

TC: Who or what helps inspire you?

Sub: Well the fact that my fellow producer Skytree released a similar idea on the same day was a huge inspiration.It’s helped me step up my game a little, and think of this more as a movement then a personal endeavor. I also gain a lot of inspiration whenever people thank me for what I do, every time I go dancing, and every time I talk with friends and family. To easily put it I am truly inspired by all the beauty that surrounds me in all it’s different forms.

Skytree (Evan Snyder) is an incredibly talented musician, who has been releasing his music for free for many years. Evan needs your help in putting together the funds for his upcoming release Cirrus Sapians (to be released in early fall). The USB drive offered will have his full discography, unreleased material, and photo and video footage! Part of his funding will be put towards revamping his website and producing a new Grassroots California hat. Please support Evan’s Indiegogo fundhere, there is still 21 days left! Tribal council was very lucky to have Skytree give us an interview!

Interview with Skytree

TC: 2013 is most certainly a year of grounded, rooted energy – what goals do you have for this year?

Skytree: It absolutely is. I feel like part of our collective task in 2013 is to take a lot of the ideas, inspirations and intuitions we practiced in 2012 and start to embody them in a more sustainable, more physical, long-term path forward. What many saw as a culmination of the “shift” in 2012 was, from my perspective, an emergent spike of the birthing and remembrance of the tools we need to move forward and survive as a global family. It was an incredible social experiment in trans-cultural community. 2013 feels like our new dawn to refine and continue that same work, as the alternative is too grave and, thus, not an option!

So, this is very much in line with my personal goals for this year. I’m now physically rooted in NYC, rather than living nomadically across the country, and focussing first and foremost on the production of my new album, “Cirrus Sapiens”, a nod to the collective cloud of consciousness that we all share. This new project will be pressed into hardcopy CD and accompanied by music videos, a custom bamboo USB drive and lots of extras, culminating in my largest musical project to date. The release is set for the Autumnal Equinox this September, coinciding with a gig at Alex Grey’s Chapel of Sacred Mirrors alongside my friend and fellow producer, Kaminanda. My hope and intention is that this will act as a springboard, orders of magnitude beyond “Crystal Consciousness”, which alone led to an immense wave of positive change in my path.

TC: Tell me more about your upcoming release Cirrus Sapiens; what artists are you using in your remixes?

Sky: For sure! To be specific, it’s more of a collaborative process rather than a remix project. Some artists have been sending me sounds to do whatever I want with (which is akin to remixing in this sense), whereas others are intimately involved in the whole process, with lots of file-swapping and subtle adjustments taking place over a longer periods of time. A few people I’m working with now include my good friends Biolumigen, Lunecell, Space Jesus, Futexture, Erothyme, the Technicolor Lenses and DVS. There are a bunch more involved as well that I’m excited to announce when the time is right. I’ve been working on a lot of these projects in parallel (IE: side by side), so thematically the album will still revolve around a particular sound and environment, while still drawing from a very large pool of talent and techniques. In a way it will be very much like the older brother of “Crystal Consciousness”, a few years wiser and informed by the crystallized community that manifested “Treemixes V1″.

TC: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming music videos?

Sky: The project I’m most excited about is the one we’re looking to release soon, via TheUntz.com, as a preview for the album. A few months ago, I reached out to a very talented chemist who shoots HD video of micro-crystals growing in realtime, using a very specialized process and microscope rig. He was apparently very enthusiastic about working together and sent my girl and I a heap of footage to use in our video project. It’s absolutely astounding stuff. Mesmerizing! I think it could even get some people out there to think about the self-organizing capacity of crystals in a different light, perhaps more on the wavelength of what would traditionally be defined as life. It certainly looks that way when you’re watching it – akin to seeing timelapse footage of a vine climbing up a wall and realizing that plants are not by any means as static or stationary as we often think. We sometimes just need to see things in our own experiential speed to click with what’s actually going on around us. My hope is that this video will open some perceptions, and at the very least give people some trippy, spirit-expanding/mind-bending entertainment.

TC: How long have you been working on this current project?

Sky: While I only got underway with producing tracks in full about a month and a half ago, I’ve actually been gathering up sounds for over a year now. Traveling around the country for all of 2012 was definitely a challenge on occasion, but it brought with it countless opportunities to record new sounds and jam with amazingly talented people. Whenever I found myself in a new studio (which was pretty often), I would take every chance I could to sample everything around me, even if it was just a 10-second clip of a synth patch that caught my ear. This is the first time starting an album with a whole year’s worth of sounds, all compiled in a big library to dive into whenever I need some fresh vibes – all of which take me back to a prior adventure. Gotta say, it’s a beautiful way to create music…almost effortless when combined with the minds and spirits of all of my super talented friends and collaborators.

TC: This new GRC flat brim is even more detailed than your last hat – your friend Sam Farrand is very talented. What inspired you to make flat brims?

Sky: Thank you – Sam is absolutely amazing at what he does. The first lid we did with GRC was one of their best-selling products ever (if not at the top), so it was a hard act to follow. We wanted to make sure we designed something that would be even more incredible, but also more refined and more mature. The design we came up with very much fits the bill, pun intended I suppose! The inspiration to create our first collaboration actually came at the invitation of my friend and incredible wire-wrapper from Colorado, Jason Burruss. He was kind enough to connect me with Ruga Cons, the CEO of GRC, and we’ve been friends ever since. I know there’s been a lot of fallout with respect to them moving operations overseas, but I still very much believe in what they do, and greatly appreciate the incredible support they offer musicians like myself.

TC: We bonded over our love of crystals at Rootwire last year; which one(s) have helped inspire you on this latest project?

Sky: Ah, that was a beautiful experience! Rootwire 2012 was a phenomenal festival, and I was blessed to cross paths with you and many other amazing souls over that gorgeous weekend. While I’m fascinated with pretty much anything geological, I’ve been especially drawn to metallic crystals over the past few months, as well as multi-species (or what I sometimes call “geodiverse”) specimens. One example is a beautiful piece I recently traded for at the Purple Hatters Ball in Florida, which contains both pyrite, galena, hematite, quartz, vanadinite and sulfur, all in a specimen the size of a quarter. I’ve actually found this very much reflected in the sound of the new album, which I’d describe as much more sharp, hefty, solid, bright, metallic, conductive and diverse than any of my previous work. I very much look forward to sharing it with everyone by the time the Equinox arrives in September!

This week we had a chance to connect with Jordan Sadler, one of the founders and visionaries behind Unitus Cultural Arts Benefit, which is a “festival” in its third

year and taking place Aug 9-11 at Cherokee Farms, GA. The idea behind the interview was to get the key points of Unitus out to as many people as possible since this gathering is still flying under the radar on most people’s summer schedules. Tribal Council is happy to be returning to Cherokee Farms three years after our first theme camp setup at Alchemy, Georgia’s regional burn, and this time, to be truly bringing the tribes together to heal centuries of wounds. We hope to see you there for the Chinese Lantern Lighting ceremony.

TC: As one of the founders and consistent visionaries of Unitus, can you tell us a little bit of the story of how Unitus Festival was birthed?

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JS: By no means did it start out as what it is today. Hao, Jay, and I spent a lot of time on some farmland and forest up in Tennessee also known as Jaceland. We have all had the shared vision of creating a sustainable community and a place where people can come to learn and grow together. One night we shared the idea of Unitus (Unite Us) in my basement when we were thinking up a name for the festival we were planning. We knew that we were here to connect the dots, and it all starts with us. Why not create a festival/organization built on the foundation of unity and bringing people together? Through these seeds being planted, it has really given us the opportunity to be able to appreciate the beauty in our daily lives and give us a positive and constructive cause to works towards.

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TC: I understand that for its third year, Unitus has moved to Cherokee Farms, the site of the Georgia burn Alchemy and countless other small festivals. Can you share why that decision was made and the implications of this location?

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JS: It is evident that the reason for this was beyond our understanding in the moment. One of the main reasons that we moved Unitus from TN to GA is that lighting the Chinese Sky Lanterns is now illegal in Tennessee. The Unitus Sky Lantern Ceremony is a guided meditation lead by Dixon’s Violin, in which everyone is able to release and let go of whatever they are holding onto in their lives that they feel is holding them back. By releasing, we are creating space to welcome what we do want into our lives. We are also primarily from the Atlanta area, so this is 2 hours closer to home for us along with much of our friends and family. We are just now beginning to understand the choice we made… especially with the history of Cherokee Farms and the role it has in our efforts to bring light to the Native American cultures, traditions, ways of life, and collectively uniting of the tribes.

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TC: More and more festivals are declaring “missions” and “values” that guide their creation, evolution, and vision. We at Tribal Council are adamant believers in this practice as it focuses the energy and the intention of event organizers as well as the patrons who come to cocreate the experience. What is the mission of Unitus and what are the values at its core?

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JS: The Mission of Unitus is quite simple. The name says it all… to Unite Us. Our goal is to further understand and honor this symbiotic system we are living in to heal, grow, and love. Remember the golden rule we learned back in elementary school? Treat others how you would like to be treated. We still hold that dear, although it is not just confined to other human beings, but to everything.

TC: These days there are so many music festivals and gatherings out there for people to choose from. Festival season has essentially been extended to a year round festival lifestyle for those looking for it. With the full spectrum of festivals, what makes Unitus different than other “music festivals?”

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JS: I appreciate you all asking that question. We get that a bunch, what type of festival is this – a burn, electronic, hippy, etc? First off, we would like to say that we are all so much more than what any title or limitation could try and confine us as. We decided, if you have to put us in a box, we will be our own thing. So, we decided we would be a “Cultural Arts Benefit Festival”. Each year we will strive to learn about and honor a certain culture that we feel is in alignment with realizing our interconnectedness. This year we chose the Native American or American Indian Culture(s). Of course, we mean benefiting by raising awareness and funding for non-profit organizations or certain causes. For the past few years we have worked with the American Red Cross Tornado Victims of Alabama, Children of Vietnam, and this year we are working with Future by Design (The Venus Project) and Bradd Alan Landress: The Healing Place.

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TC: Festivals are always a product of many different entities and groups coming together to create a result that is synergistically greater than the sum of the individual efforts. Who are the groups involved in this year’s Unitus Festival and what do they bring to the table?

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JS: There are quite a few organizations we would love to give thanks to. Unfortunately, you will have to do your homework on these organizations because it will take quite a good amount of time explaining what all they do and what they bring to the table.

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These people and organizations are by no means in chronological order of contribution or level of involvement:

JS: I am most excited to see history be made. By making history, I personally am referring to White Elk Spirit Dancer holding a healing ceremony to bring light to the land at Cherokee Farms, which was a stockade during the Trail of Tears for the Cherokee Nation. I am also excited to see the tribes unite and come together from all over. There is no better time than now to start making this world a better place for generations to come. We invite you all to come out and join us as history is made and not repeated…

The High-Light of our day today was a bit unusual – it was composed of sitting down to watch an episode… “TC watching TV?” you may croak out in a mixture of shock, horror, & disgust. Relax, dear friends, & fear not – for this is no ordinary “episode”. What we are referring to is the second installment of a ground-breaking new documentary webseries – The Bloom. The Bloom, in its own words, “illuminates the blossoming phenomenon of Transformational Festivals, immersive participatory realities that are having profound life-changing effects on hundreds of thousands of lives.”

Photo by Ryan Mitchell Arts

It has been a great pleasure getting to know the film crew & producers of this project over the past year, and we are beyond thrilled by & for them. The making of this series is vital to the spreading of transformational festival culture, most especially because of its accessibility – a value we are ever trying to act in accordance with. This series has the potential to reach the thousands that can’t make it out to the festivals (yet), and we are excited to see the ripples that come from it.

The Bloom is capturing what we had, until now, deemed “uncapturable”. The beauty, power, & life force that drives this culture, that has driven us on our mission of Service, is now eloquently captured in a masterfully crafted aesthetic delight, that’s almost as fun to watch as it is to live!

This series and culture are full of Pure Potent-iality. We have already felt the effects ripple out here in the form of reaffirmation & renewed inspiration for this shared vision. Tribal Council is honored and humbled to share space among so many powerful movers & shakers in the credit reel. We are also excited to be premiering Episode 3 on the big screen at Gratifly Festival and have the Bloom film crew onsite filming the weekend’s events this July. So if you aren’t family-ar yet, grab your goji berries, hold on to your harem pants, and get ready for a wild ride through sensory stimulation & spirit massage, with a dose of your daily inspiration on top. Then, as episode 2 reminds us, let’s get together and practice the new world.

As we like to joke about quite often, a typical “problem” these days often consists of having to make a decision between two shows on the same night. In the height of 2013, there is certainly no shortage of events to choose from – though quantity does not always guarantee quality. However, last night was an event worth writing home about. OVO: A Lunar Masquerade brought out all the wild, weird, & beautiful, in our sweet shangri-la of the same qualities, Asheville, NC.

Photo Credit: Lee Brooks

When the invite to an event is as follows, you already know you’re in for a treat:

“Music, art, dance, costume, and performance from the psychoactive depths of ancient Venice. Polish your boots and come see the carnival; it’ll be like nothing you’ve seen before. ”

And in-deed, OVO lived up to its promises…

Sweet Hearts serving it up & holding it downPhoto Credit: Lee Brooks

TC snuggled up on the balcony next to Buchi to provide a tea lounge cuddle puddle with a nice bird’s eye view of all of the action (literally – the show was action-packed in the best way possible). What looked like all of Asheville came out to dress up & get down, and we certainly clean up nice! Organic Armor provided the garb for the acts of the night, which was quite the aesthetic delight. These acts consisted of the powers combined from our amazingly talented friends including Futexture, Medisin, and Kynara – a whirlwind night that carried us through the realms of four to the floor, psychedelic glitch hop, funk, and the depths of Brian Lord’s mind.

And just when you thought Futexture couldn’t get any cooler……Photo Credit: Lee Brooks

And as if all of that wasn’t enough (usually that’s it, right?), the highlights of the night might have been that which was, in fact, a bit higher up than all of that. Some of Asheville’s finest came out to play, with the most silks in one room I’ve seen on this side of the country! The circus has always been a personal source of inspiration and an empowering reminder of the incredible potential we as humans hold, from shape-shifting to flying, and everything in between. Members of the Bromelia Aerial Dance Collective and Clan Destiny Circus, along with many other inspiranauts & contortionists, came out to share and revel in the glory that is the human body & spirit.

Early Pearly & Elijah StrongheartPhoto Credit: Lee Brooks

All in all, OVO was one of the best shows of 2013 on the east coast, and we want to express our enthusiasm for and interest in more events of this nature coming into fruition. The Fox & Beggar Theater has shown us what an event with artistic heart looks, sounds, & feels like- and we want more. We at TC put out the call to all those who share this vision. Anyone seeking help with producing high caliber events like these can feel free to contact us at tribalcouncil11@gmail.com. With our powers combined we can turn dreams & fantasy into a living, breathing reality, as OVO has reminded us.

BromeliaPhoto Credit: Lee Brooks

And as for F&BT, this event was just the first step on a long road to the Masonic Temple, aka Tarocco… So if you like what you saw or read here, follow this link to find out more about what this is really all about, and how you can get involved/support the rebirth of creativity- in yourself, the music culture, & the world at large. Thank you Fox & Beggar Theater and all those involved in OVO – we look forward to Tarocco and the journey there.

In the past few years I have noticed a rise of interest in down-tempo and ambient music. What once was underground, is now becoming more prevalent in the transformational festival scene. More people are listening to this beautiful dream like music. It may help calm your emotions or help you be more zen. I believe this type of music is perfect for a yoga session or letting your creative juices flow.

Whether you are new to this genre or not, Infinite Geometry’s mix Downtemple Alignment Awareness is perfect to discover something new. This mix is perfect for anyone looking to dive deeper into more ambient side of music. Andy Reed (Infinite Geometry) includes tracks by; Shpongle, Bluetech, Phaeleh, Whitebear, and Entheogenic to name a few of the more popular producers. He seamlessly weaves tracks together, into a divine mix that helps you journey into yourself. Andy has a knack for picking out highly inspirational songs.

You can find this transformational mix for free here. While Andy Reed is a wonderful DJ, he is also an amazing visual artist. Please take a moment to look through his work, his facebook page is here. Andy also has prints for sale on his Esty page.

Homies vibin’ out to the legendary Steel Pulse to close out a magical LEAF weekend

The spring of 2013 is blossoming and led the Tribal Council to our very first Lake Eden Arts Festival! (LEAF) May 9-12th hosted the 36th bi-annual gathering at the tried & true grounds of Camp Rockmont /Lake Eden outside of Asheville, NC. It was an honor to participate at a festival which structures itself differently than many gatherings these days. LEAF welcomes the whole family, with a focus on a worldwide diversity of art and educational programs.

Talavya, high-energy Indian percussion that fostered some neural connections between this traditional music & the EDM we so often play

A night at LEAF might find one dancing to African Tribal Fusion, passing through an intimate sharing of poetry, hours of contra dance and running through the woods to an all-night drum circle. The result is a unique and uplifting experience that emphasizes global connection and the exchange of information and loving experiences that serves all peoples in all cultures . If youʼre looking to take your parents and siblings to their first festy, this might be the one!

Dima Bear and Sir Summit sharing some thai massage

Tribal Council offered our dome as a community space in the Healing Arts area. We served tea, held space, cuddled, massaged and shared in the joy of the Geodesic communion, while yoga classes and workshops took place around us all day. The sweet blend of a gorgeous festival site and the ample opportunities to sing, dance, learn and play amazed us throughout the weekend, and left us all feeling super grateful to participate and serve at LEAF.

Cheer Bear serving up tea to all the lovelies in the cozy dome home

All in all, the weekend felt like a throw-back to the best of summer camp, integrated with a globally cultured experience that would be hard to find anywhere else.

One of Tribal Council’s heroes, Buckminster Fuller, consistently cropped-up over weekend, being that our Geodesic dome was set up only yards away from where Bucky pioneered his first dome setup while he was teaching at Black Mountain College on the current Lake Eden site. Stay posted for possibility of the Council connecting with Fuller’s work and philosophies at the upcoming fall LEAF.

The consistently impressive & ever-evolving myriad of offerings we at TC are honored to support & work with

As Bucky once said: “There is no joy equal to that of being able to work for all of humanity and doing what you’re doing well.” Thank you all for supporting your Council and many blessings to everyone.

When one attends Sonic Bloom it might as well be a happy trip to a little model of utopia. Of all the festivals I have personally been to, Sonic Bloom’s amazing display last year certified it as one of most cohesive, beautiful, smooth and purely friendly gatherings out there. I had heard great things, and the experience trumped them all. Sonic Bloom’s subtitle for this year is “The Unified Field”, in reference to Nassim Haramein’s teachings and Jamie Janover’s excellent conveyance of them; but there is another meaning to this title for me, and it is the unification of all the aspects of transformational gathering culture into a fully immersive and authentic experience. From the Colorado scenery to the fans to the overall atmosphere and aesthetic to the music to the many offerings present, Sonic Bloom is a fest and a feast for the soul, the mind, the heart; and a very unique feeling one at that. It is one of those festivals that carries with it a magic and an air of joyousness that goes far beyond any one of the standout elements, a gathering that feels whole, complete and totally worthwhile. With this years lineup and offerings, we are in for another amazing time.

Sonic Bloom took, in my opinion, an amazing leap of confidence and seriously welcome innovation when they debuted their full lineup. Its not because of the amazing acts present, in fact its just the opposite. Sonic Bloom booked almost no acts that were present last year (just 5 or 6). That is awesome! And what’s more awesome is the incredible lineup that has resulted. This lineup is just pure FUN:

The happy hard-hitting world-renowned Australian glitch-hop headliner Opiou. The soul-touching subtle stylings of Bluetech (and an uptempo set under his other name, Evan Marc). The extremely talented and explosively fun band The Werks. Rare appearances by Whitebear, LYNX and Lucent Dossier Experience. Lesser known and simply amazing Australian acts such as GOOSEBUMPZ. Time-honored bastions of the culture like Desert Dwellers, Govinda, Akara, Random Rab, Adham Shaikh, the list really does just go on and on and on. In terms of the styles of music present there is a comfortable variety here, hard-hitters and chillout masters, a great range of tempos and styles. But there is one thing that all the music of Sonic Bloom has in common, and that is that it is of the utmost quality of production and live presentation. All of these performers, like the ethereal and beautiful Akara, have splendid stage presence, and create truly fresh and original music, spread across many different styles. Also, the lineup of painters is great as always, these are true visionaries creating a new paradigm of expression, and their work re:expresses the feelings of these gatherings, re:creates and intimates the symbology of this culture, and also serves as a reference point for the truth that this culture is engaging in a renaissance of creative potential and output.

Moving past the music, the real meat of Sonic Bloom, or should I say the real nectar of Sonic Bloom, comes clear. There is a lot to take in, so lets start on the stage performance. Sonic Bloom always includes extensive and constant displays of amazing stage performance. Wether it be dancing, fire or toys, the flow arts at this festival really make the sets something special. Furthermore, Sonic Bloom does not skimp on the quality of the performers (I mean, what’s worse than a stage “performer” that just looks like a drunk fan?). These are world-class artists of movement, so prepare to be impressed. Moving on from that there is an entire world of workshops and yoga and movement offerings for participants. From astrological work with Adam Sommer to Earthship classes with Baron Kinder, the workshop lineup is truly stellar and covers a lot of topics and areas of learning and experience. Last year I found myself stumbling across offerings that really opened my mind and heart, and that inspired me spiritually as well. One interesting offering this year that I will have to attend is being given by the musician Temple Step, and it is a Sound Activation experience that “fuses self created sound design, live FX processing with sacred audio

from a diverse range of mediums such as binaural and holosync sounds, recordings of outer space by NASA, monks, shaman’s and sound healers.” Being a huge fan of sound healing, this one is for me; and since there is a fairly wide array of topics covered at Sonic Bloom, I suspect that everyone will have a “hey this one is for me” moment looking at the workshop lineup. Focusing, as it has in recent years, on quality over quantity, Sonic Bloom’s workshop lineup gives everyone’s interest just enough service. Looks like once again I will have to find a way to recharge without sleep after the epic sunrise sets so that I can nourish my mind and soul during morning workshops.

As a final note, the overall aesthetic of Sonic Bloom must be mentioned. Simply put, the festival is beautiful. Hardworking hands deliver inspired and engaging stage designs (and word around the rumor mill is that a new stage is going where the Buddha Lounge was last year, the people putting it on are a great crew as well); mandalas and art installations abound; spaces and places of interest as well as beautiful and friendly natural surroundings inspire epic relaxation and intimate connection among friends new and old. The truth is that one of the hallmarks of the transformational multi-faceted festival movement is beautification and re:creation of space, and from what I have seen at Sonic Bloom, this gathering absolutely nails it.

So there you go, if you didn’t know already then you should have an inkling as to what Sonic Bloom is: one of the most beautiful, multi-faceted and well run festivals on the planet. If you have been on the fence about attending, go ahead and find the time and the funds. Price your travel, get a ticket, and come join an all star crew of musicians, artists, spaces and a seriously welcoming crowd that stretches well beyond Colorado, for a weekend of fun, learning, and life-changing experiences.